las vegas Rio hotel review of my times at a really good offstrip Vegas casino hotel - by Jason

Rio Hotel Las Vegas

Rio has a party, carnival type theme running all over the casino that's perfect for partying. I do recommend this as a great alternative to the higher strip prices because they have a good pool scene, cheap fun shows some of which are free, a clean casino, and fantastic views from up top. They try real hard to be racy and some of the clubs are. For a while they had an entire area of blackjack tables where the dealers were all women in bikinis. Guess it did not work cause its gone now.

Rio Hotel Casino photo of my son Joshua and I from atop the Voodoo Lounge. Obviously Joshua's hairdo is superior to mine in high winds.

Rio is known for having the longest running "show for women" called Chippendales which is held in it's own custom made theater. Many women come here for bachelorette parties. Rio strategy is to serve the girls with the Chippendales guys so they are then available as a target for the hungry guys at the bars when the show lets out, then the drink buying silly modern day dating scene starts all over. All the while Rio is raking it in and everyone is having some level of fun.

There are amazing views of Las Vegas strip and the entire valley from Voodoo both indoors and outdoors. At 51 stories it is a great place for pictures, drinks, lounging around relaxing under the stars in the cool breezy night air. Parties happen here virtually every night and admissions is usually free before 8 pm. Every room at the Rio is a suite, some are larger than others. It has 2,200 suites and most have incredible views of the mountain ranges surrounding the valley, the Palms or the Strip. Ask for a room in the Ipanema Tower as they are big and right by the elevator. They have sofas and lounge chairs, separate dressing areas and refrigerators.

Overview: One of the absolute best views of the Vegas skyline and strip
Location: just off the Las Vegas Strip near Palms on busy Flamingo road
Restaurants: Voodoo Lounge hooked to a great steakhouse, go to the back of the All-American Bar & Grille for the best service and fireside atmosphere, best thing for the money is the aged beef over salad for about $12, the Carnival World Buffet is known all over Vegas for a serious buffet for the price - very good, Gaylord Indian cuisine is very romantic but the most expensive Indian food in Vegas I think, The Village Seafood Buffet costs usually over $36 actually has lobster, crab and harder to find items like special oysters, scallops and weird shrimp, on the cheap side the Wetzel's Pretzels has this great little pretzel in some dough called a "pig in the blanket",
Nightclubs, Lounges: Voodoo Lounge is the best but there are others for the women when they spill out of the Chippendales show like the all-male staffed Flirt Lounge. Lots of guys hang around it thinking the girls will come out of the show all would up to get with a guy. They soon realize that's not how it works in girls minds, get drunk and stagger out to gamble the night away
Casino: 125,000+ square feet, including Blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Craps, big smoky Keno club area, Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Poker, Roulette, more than 1,500+ slot machines, and poker room, large race sports book has seats for 150+ people with 150 TV's and 5 big screens for viewing major events.
Entertainment: the bowling alley is popular with locals called Lucky Strike Lanes, free low commitment Masquerade Village shows play out overhead throughout the day and night like the ones they do at Circus Circus only substantially bigger and with less clothes, Chippendales which only allows women in, and Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding is a fun Broadway style act.
Extras: easy parking, free little interactive shows every 2-3 hours in casino that you can join in for $20 riding an overhead party tram all over the casino
Pools: 4+ acres with 4 good curvy pools, one with sandy entrance, 4 nice hot tubs hidden in the palm trees and surrounded by rocks and waterfalls, actually a very nice pool scene for an off strip hotel.
Health Club or Spa: both reasonable sized plus a hair salon
Shopping: the Wine Cellar Tasting Room was not a good experience for us as it was too expensive and deserted, otherwise just small shops. Check out our shopping list for big experiences.
Wedding chapel: none, but you might be able to talk them into a poolside wedding if it was less than 100 people
Childcare facilities: None
Pets allowed: No
Parking garage: free indoor parking garage plus limited outdoor parking for oversized vehicles like rv's and buses.
Shuttle service to the airport: back and forth to the airport by a private company, cab service also
Shuttle service to Strip: free throughout the day to and from Harrahs
Hotel amenities: Typical amenities, plus valet parking, arcade, safety deposit box, salon, laundry, luggage handling, electronic check-out.
Miscellaneous: Check-in time is 3 pm and Check-out time is 11 am. The minimum age to reserve a room is 21 years and there is a maximum number of guests per room of four. Must provide a credit card for incidentals

Contact us for more information on Rio Hotel and Casino.